Honda's Takata Recalls

Honda's Takata Recalls

Parts supplier, Takata, manufactured defective, shrapnel-hurling airbag inflators that need to be recalled. The issue affects 34 million+ vehicles spread out across 24 brands, making it one of the largest (and most dangerous) recalls in automotive history.

The propellent Takata used is exploding with such force that it’s ripping the inflators into tiny metal fragments and shooting them in the direction of vehicle occupants. To make matters worse, the inflators are exploding in low-speed accidents with very little impact.

High Risk Vehicles

Certain 2001-2003 Honda and Acura vehicles have been labeled as having a “high risk” of airbag inflator ruptures. In late June, 2016, NHTSA urged owners of these cars to stop driving immediately.

“With as high as a 50 percent chance of a dangerous air bag inflator rupture in a crash, these vehicles are unsafe and need to be repaired immediately,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “Folks should not drive these vehicles unless they are going straight to a dealer to have them repaired immediately, free of charge.”

The “High Risk” List

Make

Model

Years

Acura

CL

2003

TL

2002-2003

Honda

Accord

2001-2002

Civic

2001-2002

CR-V

2002

Odyssey

2002

Pilot

2003

It’s important to note: the vehicles in question have already been recalled between 2008 and 2011. According to NHTSA’s data, however, only 70% received repairs. That leaves 313,000 vehicles that need critical repairs immediately. If you own one these cars:

Visit SaferCar.gov to check whether their vehicle has any outstanding safety recalls.

Take Action

Owners of these vehicles are urged to call the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or visit this site for more information.

“Consumers that are uncertain whether their vehicle is impacted by the Takata recalls, or any other recall, can contact their manufacturer’s website to search, by their vehicle identification number (VIN) to confirm whether their individual vehicle has an open recall that needs to be addressed.”

Delia Robles, Corona, California — On September 30th, 2016, Robles hit a Chevy pickup head-on at an intersection, causing the airbag to explode when it deployed.

13 Year Old Boy from Grove City, Pennsylvania — On July 22, 2015, a 13 year old apparently took the keys to the family’s Honda Accord, lost control and traveled off Route 58 in Mercer County. The 4:46 a.m. crash caused the front airbag to explode after the car hit a fallen tree.

Ashley Parham of Midwest City, OK — On May 27, 2009, just days after graduating high school, Ms. Parnham’s 2001 Honda Accord bumped another car at slow speeds in a parking lot. It was enough to trigger the airbags and the defective Takata inflator ruptured and sent metal shards throuh Ms. Parnham’s carotid artery. She was only 18 years old and dreamed of becoming a teacher.

Gurjit Rathore of Richmond, VA — On Christmas Eve 2009, 33-year old Gurjit Rathore was driving her 2001 Honda Accord when she hit a mail trunk. The airbag detonated and sent shrapnel through the cabin that tragically caused Ms. Rathore to bleed to death in front of her children.

Hein Tran of Orlando, FL — Mrs. Tran was killed by an exploding Takata airbag in her 2001 Honda Accord during a low speed accident. When law enforcement showed up, the wounds were so severe that they thought she had been stabbed in the neck.

Law Suk Leh of Borneo, Malaysia — Mrs. Leh was killed while driving her 2003 Honda City from a severe puncture wound to the neck. She was in the final week of her pregnancy.

Honda says it will recall an additional 21 million airbags worldwide to prevent more people from being injured or killed in Honda vehicles. For the U.S., this means an additional 4.5 million Honda vehicles that need their airbags repaired.